Love Letter
by phillydragonldy
Summary: Chloe finds Clark struggling to write a love letter. This is mostly just Chlarky Valentine's Day fluff.


From the prompt from **fikuz** on **fluffyfrolicker**'s fem!february comment!ficathon:

_yeah you can write me a love letter  
but there's nothing to say  
don't wanna take a chance on your paper romance anyway_

* * *

Chloe made her way up the steps of Clark's loft to find him seated on the couch staring very intently at a pad of paper. He had a pencil clenched between his teeth and a frown marred his handsome face as he studied the page before him.

"Hey, Clark. Whatcha doing?" she asked.

Clark's head snapped up in surprise, still holding the pencil between his teeth.

Chloe burst out laughing at his comical expression. Clark turned red and carefully took the pencil from his mouth. "Uh, hi Chloe. What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I was just picking up some pies from your mom for The Talon as a favor for Lana. But your mom wasn't quite done packing them up, so I thought I'd stop in and say hi. What are you working on so intently?"

"Uh... Nothing."

She raised a brow at him. "Didn't seem like nothing."

He turned even redder. "OK, fine. Maybe it isn't nothing, but it's embarrassing."

Her curiosity was even more peaked now. "Oh?"

"It's a poem," he said in a rush.

_Oh._ Of course.

Valentine's day was in a few days. She should have guessed Clark would try to patch things up with Lana. He was probably planning to surprise her with a romantic gesture and win her back. Maybe he would even admit to the beautiful brunette how much in love with her he still was.

A sharp stab of pain pierced Chloe's heart and her eyes burned slightly. She knew it was stupid, but seeing Clark so caught up in writing a love letter for another woman hurt. Not that Clark knew that. He had no idea how much she still longed for him. She had tried to put it past her, and just be happy as friends. It wasn't like he'd ever written_ her_ any love poems. She told herself she didn't actually want that from Clark anyway. She was just being stupid. What they had was so much better. She knew his secret. She helped him save people and investigate the mystery of his origins. It was so much better than sappy words on paper. He might claim to love Lana, but he still didn't trust her with his secrets.

Not like he trusted Chloe.

She didn't need a love letter to know what she meant to him.

Suddenly, she realized she had been standing there silently for way too long. Crap.

Her mouth went off without checking in with her head first, and she heard herself say, "Can I help?"

Clark looked at her strangely. "You want to help me write my poem? But you know who it is for..."

She forced a smile. "Of course. And I bet I know exactly what she'd like."

Clark was still looking at her strangely, his expression conveying confusion. She ignored the tightening in her chest, refusing to back down now that the offer was made. She moved to sit next to him on the couch, trying not to want to sink into the heat coming off his body. Only Clark could sit up here with no coat in a Kansas February. "Come on, Clark. Read me what you have."

He cleared his throat. "Um OK. If you insist. But it's not very good."

She smiled at him encouragingly. This was her job. Being Clark's personal cheerleader. "Come on Clark, how bad can it be? As long as it doesn't start with 'Roses are red' you'll be fine."

Clark turned as red as the roses Chloe mentioned. A wave of realization hit her and it was so...horrible and funny and ridiculous, that it suddenly snapped her out of her funk. She burst into peals of laughter. "Oh god, it does, doesn't it?"

"Well now it won't," he mumbled. He lifted his pencil toward the paper to scratch out the offending words, but for once Chloe was faster. She snatched the pad away and started reading.

"_Roses are red, violets are blue, you mean so much to me, that I want to go out with you._"

Clark mumbled something again that she couldn't hear over her own laughter.

It took her several moments to get herself back under control. Clark might be invulnerable, have super speed, and could see through walls, but he clearly lacked any sort of skill with romantic imagery. She almost felt bad for him. He might not be writing for her, but he was clearly in need of some serious help.

Pulling herself together, she did what she always did for Clark. She put her own feelings aside and focused on the task at hand. She was just doing a favor for two good people. They could be happy if this letter went over well.

She tried not to think that helping Clark win Lana over again might change things between herself and Clark. After all, it shouldn't matter if he dated...well, anyone he wanted. I wasn't like she was waiting on him. He didn't see her that way. It wasn't as if by helping him was ever going to affect her own chances of getting a love letter.

She tried to tell herself that was actually a good thing based on his poetic skill so far.

"Well Clark, for starters, you probably shouldn't worry so much about rhyming. Good poetry, like any good writing, is about how it makes you feel. So instead of trying to find rhyming words, think about how you feel. What draws you. Why you care for her. What you feel when you are around her."

He was peeping up at her oddly from between his long, dark lashes. "Well, she's really smart."

_Smart? Lana?_ Well, she wasn't stupid or anything, but it also wasn't the first thing that came Chloe's mind.

"Yeah, that's good. What else?"

"She's really funny too. And driven. She works so hard and is so passionate. It is something I really admire."

She had never found Lana to be particularly funny, but then Chloe tended towards snark and Lana was too kind for that. As for driven, yeah, there was The Talon. That might make sense.

Clark was smiling at her in that heart-stopping way of his. "And she's beautiful too."

Chloe smiled back, but she thought it might have come off a little sickly. Of course, Lana was beautiful with her long legs, shining dark hair, and perfect skin. Not like herself, with her too-short legs, curved hips, and birthmarked cheeks.

Chloe forced herself to continue. The sooner this was done, the sooner she could buy herself a heart-shaped box of chocolates to eat by herself. "Yes, of course. Mustn't forget that. Now how do you feel around her?"

"Happy. Free. Like I can really be myself."

_Really? _ _'Free?' 'Like he can be himself?' _

Even with his secret between them, he still felt that way around Lana? Here Chloe knew all about him, his powers, his origins, everything, but still here he was saying that about _another woman?_

Suddenly it was too much. There apparently_ was_ something she wouldn't do for Clark. She collected her purse and got up from the couch. "Well that sounds good then, Clark. Use all that. I'm going to go back and check on those pies."

Clark looked disappointed. He was still probably hoping for more help with his stupid love letter. "Oh ok. Well, thanks, Chlo."

"Yeah, no problem. I'm sure it will be great." She forced herself to flash a fake smile and turned to leave, but Clark spoke again.

"Hey Chloe, what's are good flower to get? Should I stick with roses or is something else better?"

She knew Lana would want roses, even though personally Chloe liked Gerber daises. They were just so bright and bold and fun. Roses were...boring.

"Roses are traditional," she replied carefully.

Clark looked at her sagely. "Yeah...but that isn't what I asked."

Suddenly, she couldn't help it. She'd kept too much truth bottled. She had to let _some_ out. "Lana would most appreciate roses, though, personally, I like Gerber daisies."

"Because they are more colorful than roses?"

She blinked in surprise. She wouldn't have expected Clark to guess that. "Yeah."

"My mom is kind of like that. She likes tulips best. Dad always gets those for her on Valentine's instead of roses."

"Yeah, well, your mom is an exception."

He smiled sweetly again. "You are too."

She tried not to look too deeply into that comment. She just smiled. "Yeah, well, I do need to get going. See you later."

"Yeah, OK. Bye, Chloe."

"Bye, Clark."

Later, as Chloe unloaded the pies from Mrs Kent to bring into The Talon, Chloe wondered how Clark was doing with his poem.

And she tried very hard not to regret that whatever he ended up writing wasn't going to be for her.

* * *

VALENTINE'S DAY

* * *

As Chloe closed the door behind her to the dorm room she shared with Lana, the first thing she saw was the huge vase of flowers and a red envelope next to them.

She looked at the flowers in surprise, because it appeared as though Clark had decided to go with the Gerber Daisies. She thought she had been clear that_ Lana_ would want roses.

Seeing her enter, Lana turned to smile at Chloe. "Hey, Chloe!" She jumped up from her spot on the bed and snatched up the sealed red envelope from the flowers. Lana grinned and gave her the card. "These came just a short while ago for you. It would seem you have an admirer!"

Chloe blinked in surprise. The flowers were for_ her? _ _Not Lana?_ She accepted the envelope from Lana in a state of shock. She slowly turned the red envelope over, and indeed, it had _her name_ on it.

In Clark's handwriting.

Did Lana not recognize his writing? How could she not? He must have written things for her before!

Yeah, Chloe and Clark traded notes all the time, but he must have written something for Lana...right? Right?

Slowly, with a surreal feeling, Chloe turned the envelope back over and carefully started opening it. If this was a mistake, she didn't want to hand over a mussed envelope to Lana.

Inside were two sheets of paper from the pad Clark had been using the other day in the loft. Clark's writing was immediately recognizable on the paper inside.

_Chloe,_

_Roses are red...just kidding. I've been thinking for a while about this, but I'm not very good with words. Maybe because I need to hide so much of who I am from everyone except my parents...and you. Ever since you found out my secret, I feel like we have really finally gotten to know each other. I know that is weird after 6 years, but it's true. And though you have learned so much about me, I feel like I've learned just as much about you._

_I always feared losing you if you knew about me. That you'd just see me as another Wall of Weird guy. Then I was afraid of losing our friendship, like I did with Lana, if we tried to be...more. But I know now that you aren't her. You've not just accepted me, but made me proud to be who and what I am. I'm not afraid of doing the big things that will be asked of me, because I have you in my life._

_So here is my attempt to convey what that means to me. I hope I can convince you to take a chance on us, even though I know how stupid I've been._

_I hope you like it, even if just makes you laugh at how I will never be the kind of writer you are._

_Yours,_

_Clark_

She went over the words several times to make sure she had read them correctly, before slowing exchanging the letter for the second page.

_Warmth and light  
Like that day at the lake  
Like the day you gave me my first kiss  
Like the sun on your hair and brightening your beautiful eyes  
I like how I see myself in your eyes  
Like I'm smarter and braver and better than anyone else in the world  
Like I am already the hero everyone expects me to be_

_You are already the best person I know and_  
_I'm still keeping a secret_  
_I think about you too much for a friend_  
_I think about the lost and found kisses we've shared_  
_I think about things you don't even remember_  
_And I think about how much I'd like to see if we can grow into more_  
_Because I think I've been waiting for you all along_

Chloe felt tears fill her eyes and covered her mouth to hold in a noise that was part laugh and part sob. It was beautiful, and strangely reminded her of her own letter from years back. Was it possible that part of Clark had heard her, even in his delirious state? Had his mind been hanging onto her words all this time, just to return them to her?

"What is it, Chloe? Who is it from?" Lana asked, confused and concerned at her strange reaction.

Chloe wiped the tears away, and found she was grinning. "I'm sorry, Lana. I have to go." She spun on her heel and dashed back out the door, ignoring the shouting behind her.

"But Chloe! Who are they from?" Lana cried at Chloe's retreating back.

* * *

"Clark!" Chloe called his name as she raced up the steps of the loft.

He stood up from couch, and Chloe came to a sudden halt, her mouth dropping open.

Clark was wearing a suit. He fidgeted with the cuffs of the dress shirt anxiously. He gave her a nervous smile, but his brilliant blue eyes shone with hope.

The entire loft was filled with twinkling lights and dozens of Gerber daisies.

Chloe climbed the last few stairs to the loft slowly, feeling like she had been transported into some sort of alternate-reality dream. Surreptitiously, she pinched herself.

It hurt.

This was real.

Still fussing with his unusual clothes, Clark asked, "So did you like it? My poem, I mean."

She felt stupid when tears started to well in her eyes again. "Oh, Clark. It was beautiful."

Now he was twisting his hands together nervously. If she didn't already know Clark didn't sweat, she would have guessed him for having clammy hands.

"So does your being here mean you want to...go on a date with me?" he asked.

She smiled hugely. Letting everything she felt for him show in her eyes and radiant grin. "Yes, Clark. I'd love to go out with you."

He bounced on his toes, obviously thrilled, and his face split into that huge 10000-Megawatt grin of his that she loved so much. "When?"

She looked around at the lovely flowers, twinkling lights and the incredible man in front of her. She couldn't stop smiling. "How about now?"

She wouldn't have thought it possible, but his smiled became even brighter. "Works for me."

He reached out a hand for her and she took it. As she moved in close to him, she thought again of that long-ago letter. How that girl would think of this moment?

Then she was in Clark's arms and he was kissing her.

Her last coherent thought before she lost herself in the kiss, was that it had definitely been worth the wait.

\- THE END -

* * *

Happy Valentine's day everyone! Now show me the love! ;D


End file.
